Uncoupling device.



W. KELSO.

UNGOUPLING DEVICE. APPLIOATION'IILBD MAY 3, 19 10. 1 021,41 1 v PatentedMar. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KELSO, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MCCONWAY &

TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 'Mar. 26, 1912.

Application filed May 3, 1910. Serial No; 559,144.

tain new and useful Improvements in Uncoupling Devices; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of devices for effecting theunlocking of car couplers, and, although not limited to such use, isparticularly applicable to equipment in which the coupler is capable of.an extended lateral swinging movement in both directions from itsnormal position in the center of the car.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improvedoperating mechanism of simple construction which may be secured to andconveniently operated from the car platform and which, after beingactuated by the trainman to unlock the coupler, will automaticallyreturn to and remain in .a position corresponding to a locked positionof the coupler lock.

In. the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating my. invention,the scope whereof is pointed outin the claims.Figure 1 is a plan view of.a device embodying my invention, shown in connection with a couplerwhich. is adapted to have a lateral swinging movement; Fig. 2 is. a viewpartly in section and partly in elevation showing the devicesillustrated in Fig. 1, the coupler release rigging elements being inelevation,

the coupler head being in transverse vertical section and the knuckle ofthe coupler being omitted; Fig. 3 is a detail plan view showing therelation of the uncoupling rack bar and its operating arm; Fig. 4 is adetail plan view of the uncoupling staff and handle and the uncouplingstafi', bracket, the handle being shown in its normal position; Figs. 5and 6 are detail elevations of .the devices shown in Fig.4, the viewsbeing takenat right angles to each other, and Fig. 7 is a detailvertical sectional view, taken in the plane of the line 7.-7, Fig. 4.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that othersskilled in the art to which same. i I

For the purposes of illustration merely, I have shown a laterallyswinging coupler and draft gear such as are shown and descrlbed in myPatent No. 950,485, dated March 1, 1910; but it is to be understood thatmy invention is not limited to any such features of construction andthat the improved form of coupler release rigging is capable of generalapplication.

In the drawings, 1 is the coupler head and 2 the coupler stem. Theseparts may, if desired, be connected to the car through a'pivot pin 3which permits the coupler to have a lateral swinging movement towardeach side of the car from its normal position.

The elements of the release rigging which are operatively interposedbetween the coupler lock 4 and the rotatable uncoupling staff may, asshown, consist of a lockengaging bell-crank lever 5 to which ispivotally attached a toothed uncoupling bar 8 which extends transverselyof the car. The bell-crank lever 5, which is connected to the couplerhead by means of a pivot pin 6, is preferably provided adjacent to itsfree end with a curved slot which receives a pin 7 that passes throughthe vertically slotted it appertains may apply the lugs 45 which areformed on the coupler lock and receive the. said bell-crank lever 5between them, such a form of movable connection between the coupler lockand its releasing mechanism being especially suitable for couplersprovided with vertically movable locks. For the purpose of pivotallyconnecting the bell-crank lever 5 with the uncoupling rack bar 8, theformer may be conveniently formed with a hook 5 which passes through aneye 8 formed in the endof the latter.

Movably connected to the bell-crank lever 5, as by means of the hook andeye connection shown, is a transversely extending uncoupling bar 8 whichis slidably supported in a bracket 9 secured to the car body, theopening in said bracket being made of sufficient size to permit theuncoupling bar to by the coupler may be unlocked by a trainman standingat the side of the car, as will be readily understood. Formed on andextending downwardly from the under side of the uncoupling bar are teeth8 through which the said uncoupling bar is adapted to be moved to anuncoupling position by means of an operating arm 10 that is rigidlysecured to the lower end of the vertically extending uncoupling staff11. As shown more particularly in Fig. 3, the faces of the teeth 8 whichengage the operating arm 10 are preferably rounded to insure efficientdriving engagement with said operating arm as well as to present a largewearing surface.

Rigidly secured to the flattened upper end of the uncoupling staff 11,as, for example by means of a rivet 12, is a yoke 13 having arms 13between and to which an operating handle or lever 14 is pivoted by apivot pin 15. The upper end of the handle 14 is formed with a slot oraperture 14 which, when the handle is in a horizontal position, receivesthe flattened upper end of the uncoupling staff 11 and thus affords astrong and efficient driving connection with said staff, as will bereadily understood.

The uncoupling staff 11 is journaled in a bracket 16 so as to be capablenot only of a rotary movement, but of movement in the direction of itslength as well, said bracket being provided with suitable means, such,for example, as a plurality of perforated flanges 16 16", whereby it maybe conveniently secured to the car. For the purpose of normallymaintaining the operating handle 14 in its pendant positioncorresponding to the lowest position of the uncoupling staff 11, as wellas for the purpose of preventing said uncoupling staff from accidentally rotating, the staff bracket 16 is preferably formed withvertically extending stops 16 16, between which the handle supportingyoke 13 normally rests, thus preventing the rotation of the attacheduncoupling staff 11 until said staff has been lifted vertically aconsiderable distance. This vertical movement of the staff 11 isaccomplished through the engagement of the upper end of the handle 14with the top of a post or abutment 16 which is formed on the bracket 16opposite the yoke receiving space between the stops 16 and 16 suchabutment, when the handle 14 is swung upwardly to its operatingposition, serving as a fulcrum for said handle to thus cause the staff11 to be lifted vertically and its flattened upper end to enter the slotor aperture 14 in the upper end of the handle 1.4, as will be readilyunderstood upon reference to Fig. 7. The upward movement of the staff11, and consequently of the handle 14 also, is arrested by theengagement of the yoke 13 with the under face 16 of the abutment 16When, by means of the operating handle 14, the yoke 13 and attacheduncoupling staff have been lifted sufficiently to permit said yoke topass above the stopface 16 the handle may be turned to move theoperating arm 10 fixed to the lower end of the staff 11 into drivingengagement with one of the teeth 8 of the uncoupling bar 8, the saiduncoupling bar being thus actuated to cause the lock 4 of the coupler toassume an unlocked position. The extent of this uncoupling rotation ofthe stafi 11 may be conveniently limited by making the abutment 16 ofthe bracket 16 of such length as will cause the outer end 16 thereof toengage the face 13 of the yoke 13 after the desired rotation has beeneffected.

In order to insure the automatic return of the uncoupling staff 11 andoperating handle 14 to their normal'positions after the tootheduncoupling bar 8 has been actuated to unlock the coupler, the bracket 16is preferably provided with a plurality of concentrically arranged,segmental, helical or inclined guides or bearing faces 16 16 which areadapted to cooperate with the operating handle 14 and yoke 13,respectively, to cause said parts, under the influence of gravity, torotate to their normal positions as soon as the trainman drops theoperating handle 14 after having turned it to a position correspondingto an unlocked position of the coupler lock 4. As shown in Fig. 2 theupper face 10 of the operating arm 10 is preferably inclined so that,after actuating the uncoupling bar 8, it may escape from between theteeth 8 of the uncoupling bar and return to normal position while thesaid bar still remains in uncoupling position. Such a construction isespecially desirable when the coupler to which the release rigging isapplied is provided with a lock-set for retaining the coupler lock in anunlocked position to permit a subsequent unlocking rotation of theknuckle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with a laterally swingingcoupler, of a rotatable staff which is movable in the direction of itslength, a handle attached to and adapted to rotate said staff, a bracketin whichsaid staff is journaled, said bracket having an inclined faceadapted to cause said staff to rotate automatically in one direction,horizontally movable means for effecting an unlocking movement of thelock of the car coupler, and means for operatively connecting said staffand horizontally movable means and operating to actuate saidhorizontally movable means upon a rotation of said stafi following amovement of the latter in its direction of length.

2. In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with a slidableuncoupling bar having teeth upon one side, of a rotatable stafl which ismovable in the direction of its length, and an operating arm which issecured to said staff and is movable into and out of driving engagementwith the teeth of said uncoupling bar by movement of the said staff inits direction of length.

3. In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with a slidableuncoupling bar, of a rotatable staii which is movable lengthwiseindependently of said uncoupling bar, and means actuated by said stafffor engaging the under side of said uncoupling bar and moving itlengthwise in one direction only.

4:- In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with a rotatable staffwhich is movable in the direction of its length, of a handle pivotallyconnected to said staff, a bracket provided with stops constitutingmeans for preventing accidental rotation of said stafi' prior to alengthwise movement thereof, a slidable uncoupling bar which is actuatedby said staif and is provided with teeth upon its under side, and meansmovable with said stafl for engaging said teeth to actuate said slidableuncoupling bar.

5. In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with a rotatable stafi'which is movable in the direction of its length, of a handle pivotallysecured to said staff, and a bracket having inclined guide faces whichare adapted to engage and cause a rotation of said staff and handle,said bracket also having an abutment adapted to be engaged by saidhandlewhen the latter is swung upwardly.

6. In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with a rotatable staffwhich is movable in the direction of its length, of a handle pivotallysecured to said staff, and a bracket in which said stafl is ournaled,said bracket having a pluralityvof segmental inclines one of which isadapted to cause the rotation of said staff and the other of which isadapted to cause the rotation of said handle. I

7 In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with an uncoupling barprovided with downwardly extending teeth having inclined faces, ofarotatable stafl which is movable in the direction of its length, and anoperating arm secured to said staff, said operating arm being formedwith an inclined face and-being movable into engagement with theuncoupling bar by a movement of said staff in its direction of length,and said uncoupling bar being actuated by a rotation of said staff.

8. In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with a rotatable staffwhich is movable in the direction of its length, of a bracket in whichthe staff is journaled, a handle pivoted to said stafi and adapted torotate the same, said handle and said bracket cooperating to move saidstafi' lengthwise, a slidable uncoupling bar, and means for effecting amovement of said uncoupling bar, said means being attached to saidstafi' and being movable into engagement with said bar when said staflis moved in the direction of its length.

9. In an uncoupling mechanism, the combination with an uncoupling barhaving teeth upon its under side, of a rotatable staff which is movablein the direction of its length, and means secured to said staff andadapted to engage the teeth of said uncoupling bar to actuate thelatter.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature, in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM KELSO.

Witnesses:

J. W. HARTLEY, F. D. ECKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

